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Resurrection Ertugrul - The best series you will ever watch in your life!
“Everyone on my Facebook watches Ertugrul”. Instantly I was intrigued. “What is this ‘Ertugrul’ and if everyone is watching it why aren’t I?”. That was the question running through my head. To my delight, another twitter friend said those magical three words: “It’s on Netflix”. As anyone who subscribes to Netflix will tell you, basically you pay £8 a month just to spend 20 minutes a day flicking through movie posters like you did in the 80s and 90s only to say “no”, “seen it”, “no way” and “don’t like him”. Finding out that Netflix has just added that movie you never got a chance to watch in the cinema is good. Coming across a box set everyone is talking about is like winning the lottery. Three minutes into the first episode of Dirillis: Ertugrul (Resurrection: Ertugrul) I was hooked. Well, you have to sit through two minutes of opening credits so technically it took 60 seconds. In the opening scene you watch a blacksmith and the lead character, Ertugrul, alternatively shout “Hay’di Allah, Hak’di Allah” (“God is Great, God is One” or “God is Everlasting, God is Righteous”) as they hammered a sword and following that with an opening line of “Even iron couldn’t resist the name of God and bend to His will”. I already knew at that moment that this show would be for me. Trying to strike a balance between not giving away any spoilers and not leaving you without a clue what I am talking about, below are some reasons why. Language I have already mentioned a pair of phrases and the usage of these is not restricted to the opening sequence. But the type of language, phrases and references used in Ertugrul, not to mention the soothing sound of the Turkish language itself, draws you in to each episode and is just so pleasing to the ear. If you can speak or recognise basic Arabic or Urdu and happen to pick up on the odd word or phrase, it’s an added bonus. For example, ‘Baci’ in Turkish is the same word as ‘Bajee’ in Urdu, which is respectful way of saying ‘sister’. Here is a selection of other words that you will get used to hearing: Allahu Akbar: God is Great Alp: Warrior, soldier Ameen: Used at the end of supplication to mean “May Allah make it so” Ana: Mother Baba: Father Bey: Chief, Leader EyvAllah: (Multiple uses) When thanking someone, “May Allah reward you”, hoping for something to go well, wishing someone farewell Hatun: Lady, Woman Insh’Allah: If God wills Jahannum: Hell Kismet: Fate Lehken: But, however Sultan: Prince, Princess Zaalim: Tyrant, Oppressor Remembering and Glorifying God Continuing the theme of language, one of the things you pick up very early on is the constant display of reliance, gratefulness and glorification of God. Whether it is in the heat of battle or sitting down for a meal, being afflicted by illness or looking for a way out of a predicament, the remembrance and praising of God is always in the hearts and on the lips of these characters. History With more and more Muslims becoming politically and historically aware of Islam, the idea of a solitary and unified state, i.e. the Ummah living under one banner, is a concept close to our hearts. There are some who would rather forget or deny that we had a state for 1400 years. One that started with our blessed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and continued up until the 1920s, ending with the Ottoman Empire – the same time period Dirillis: Ertugrul leads up to. It is incredibly brave to spend millions and invest thousands of hours to set a TV show in a period of Islamic history rather than go down the well-trodden route of shows based on crime, fantasy or vulgar topics. Being reminded of our history and struggles is a blessing and anything that makes you yearn for a repeat of those times or if it simply leads you to learning more about the past, it is a very positive thing. Disclaimer: The makers of Ertugrul point out that the show is ‘inspired by’ characters from their history. What this effectively means is (inevitably) some of scenes and episodes may be fictional for story writing or entertainment purposes and some of the plot lines may not entirely be in line with historical records. In some cases, it is difficult to verify whether something took place or whether individuals actually met and interacted. However, most of the characters existed and are represented fairly and the major storylines and themes are based on actual occurrences. Characters The characters in Ertugrul are fantastic. Everyone has their favourite and someone they can relate to or recognise in others. Some you love, others you loathe. You almost forget these people are actors and probably nothing like their characters they portray. You have the obvious ones like Ertugrul and Halime. Everyone wishes they had a scholar like Ibn Arabi. You ask a question and expect a simple answer, yet he mesmerises you with a deep story from the Prophets and reminds you of their struggles. His speeches humble you and you remember God’s favours upon those blessed individuals. It may sound sad, but he appeared in my dream recently and I remember thinking I was just waiting to be blown away by his words or anticipating my troubled heart would soon be at ease. I was rudely awakened by my alarm and unfortunately, I was no longer sitting in a cave in 13th century Turkey… Mother Hayme reminds us of our own mothers; everyone wishes they could swing an axe like Turgut and we all know a Bamsi. But then you have those less likeable characters that were they around today, they would be presenting radio shows on every racist’s favourite station and collaborating with organisations that work to distort the religion or those claiming to be a ‘grassroots’ campaigner when in reality they were working for the UK Home Office all along. Even amongst a group of friends we have individually claimed characters we think represent us. I have claimed Dogan. Even those who haven’t seen an episode have been assigned an appropriate character. Others are less pleased with who they have been left with! Beards, Hats and Cool Outfits Another feather in the cap of the makers of the show are the costumes. The women are all covered up and modest, yet immaculately and stylishly dressed. The men in their Ottoman-style hats, leather armour and coats manage to look both fierce and elegant at the same time. Almost all the men are bearded. Proof that hipsters didn’t make beards cool – it was the Muslims! Modesty As well as modest attire, one stand-out feature of the Ertugrul series is just how pure and decent the show is when it comes to interactions between men and women. Current box sets like Narcos, Game of Thrones and Power are full of nudity and scenes of a sexual nature. Previous ground-breaking shows like Breaking Bad or The Wire weren’t also had you skipping certain scenes every few episodes. You don’t have this problem with Ertugrul. Some people who aren’t Muslim have shown their appreciation of this aspect and luxury of not having to worry about what you are watching and with whom. Even the storylines and scenes that revolve around love and romance are visualised modestly and in a relatively mild and decent fashion. Worship As well as remembering and praising God, the show does not fall short when it comes to featuring acts of worship. There are countless instances of the shows main characters, making wudhu (ablution), performing their prayers and supplicating. A great reminder to us all that whether you have a busy day with your job or you have Templar Knights on your doorstep ready to attack you, make time for your prayer and if you want something, ask the One who gives! Leaders One of the beautiful effects this show has had on Muslims has been reigniting that desire for strong Islamic leadership and Islam as a political entity on the world stage. Far from presenting a utopian fantasy of perfection and unity, Erturgul depicts an Islamic state made of different provinces each often left to their own devices. Although there are some political differences and power struggles between tribes and entities, ultimately each wishes to establish strength, justice and peace all whilst being aware of THE Sultan and are mindful not to fall foul of his wrath by crossing the line or rebelling. The Kayi tribe, which is ruled by Suleman Shah (father of the main character, Ertugrul), are devoted to God and establishing His justice, they are prepared to go to war for His sake and to protect Islam. They do not take kindly to the enemies of Islam, traitors and especially those that collaborate with entities who wish to divide and destroy the Islamic world. The Kayi tribe do not ‘sell out’ out their faith nor give away their souls for a few coins. They see such traitors as the most dangerous enemy and they do not hesitate to excommunicate these people from the religion based on their treachery to their own people and to God Himself. Conclusion For me personally, the most inspiring thing you take away from watching Ertugrul is a theme of hope and justice. By no coincidence, these are also prominent themes in the Quranic and Islamic message. From being held in captivity to being heavily outnumbered in battle, or individuals being in a predicament or going through a dilemma, the characters in Ertugrul never lose hope. Instead they turn to God and ask for His help. Repeatedly we are reminded of the Prophets (peace be on them all) and their stories of when it would have appeared there was no hope; Yunus (Jonas) in the belly of the whale, Yusuf (Joseph) at the bottom of a well and Musa (Moses) trapped between the sea in front and enemies behind them. The elders amongst the Kayi tribe often remind others that if God can rescue these Prophets in those crucial moments, He was more than capable of helping them out in their own situation regardless of how the odds stacked against them. Ertugrul has truly captured the imagination and attention of Muslims everywhere. You only have to scroll through your Twitter timeline and other social media, to not only see images and short clips from the show posted up, but avid fans are changing their profile pictures and user names or adding ‘Bey’ to their names, all in honour of the show. It does unsurprisingly have its critics. After all, nothing on this Earth is perfect and no matter how hard you try, there will always be some who dislike a thing or point out the negative aspects. Regarding the Islamic practices, I have come across comments criticising how wudhu (ablution) is sometimes performed, how some characters have long moustaches (Islamic tradition promotes longer beards but shorter moustaches), the women aren’t wearing “proper hijab”, the inclusion of music or some of the heavy uses of Sufi mysticism in some episodes. But I’d ask them to point out their own favourite TV box set and ask what aspects of Islam are shown in those programmes and how it puts the religion in a better light that Ertugrul does. There are a LOT of episodes. Season one has around 75 and there are four seasons in total to get through. Netflix doesn’t appear to have season three and four available, so people have sought to finding streams online or other means of accessing the show. I have found some of the English translation isn’t perfect and is often inconsistent. The show does promote some notions of nationalism and tribalism and on occasion the self-praise can be a little OTT. But all things considered, the show in my opinion is brilliant and I am glad it is so popular amongst Muslims. The word that came to mind after the first episode was ‘refreshing’ and I have heard that word used by many others to also describe it. The regular reminders of God, your duty to your religion and your community, fearlessness in the face of death, love for your parents – all of these things are part of being a Muslim and it is amazing to receive these reminders from what is effectively TV entertainment. It does make you check your own character, people around you and it makes you ponder over situations around the world. I have often asked myself “Would I be as brave as those Alps?” and “Would I speak truth to power if I was in that position?”. Reversing that, I have also wondered “What would Ertugrul and the Kayi tribe have done with the tyrants and regimes of today?” I still have two and a half seasons to get through and I hope it continues to be as inspiring and enthralling as the previous episodes. May Allah bless the programme makers and those involved for producing this show and inspiring us all. May we honour the great characters in our history, those who put defending the Deen and abiding by the laws of God above everything else. May we live to see many Suleyman Shahs and Ertugruls rise up amongst this Ummah and in future generations. Watch Season 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 only on Historical Fun TV with English Subtitles in HD! www.historicalfuntv.com www.fb.com/historicalfuntv